Monday, June 30, 2008

Story is from Topeka, where a Shawnee County judge has a reputation for giving probation or reduced sentences to people convicted of sex crimes. (The latest was last week, when a 75-year-old got probation, even though he was convicted of sex with two young kids, ages 6 and 7.)

On Sunday June 29, 2008 at around 11:15pm KCMO Police Officers were called to the Gates Restaurant-1221 Brooklyn Avenue on a man who witnesses reported had abducted a woman at gunpoint. Those witnesses provided officers with a description of the man and his vehicle and license plate information.

Officers then responded to the residence on file for the license given and found the same vehicle that had been described by the witnesses at the restaurant in the driveway of a house located at 3810 east 35th street.

As the officers approached the house a woman who matched the description of the woman abducted from the restaurant ran out of the house and told officers she had just been shot by a man inside the house.

Officers then observed a man matching the description of the one given by witnesses at the restaurant, come out of the house onto the porch smoking a cigarette. The man then went back inside the house. Officers then approached the door of the residence and upon doing so heard what sounded like a gunshot inside. An Operation 100 was initiated and an attempt was made to contact the man with no response.

Tactical officers eventually made entry into the residence and found the man inside who was dead from a single gunshot wound. No officers fired their weapons during this incident.

The woman who was shot was transported by MAST to an area hospital for treatment of her non-life threatening injury.

"He asked, 'Mr. Conrad why are you driving 50 miles an hour back there
on I-95?' I said, 'I'm saving gas?' He said, 'Saving gas?' I said,
'Yeah,' and looked at my readout and said, 'I'm getting 69 miles to the
gallon right now.'"

In Emporia, a Topeka man is facing trial on charges that he shot and killed Beau Arndt, 18, of Americus last year while Arndt was hunting. Theron Thomas Kent is accused of involuntary manslaughter -- authorities contend he shot Arndt while Kent was illegally hunting. Closing statements are expected this morning.

This is the case of Armand Villasana, who was accused of rape by a woman who was actually trying to cover up her affair with another man. Thanks to some DNA tests, the truth eventually came out. But not before Villasana served 21 months.

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Mike McGraw, an investigative reporter for The Star, has just published a story raising new questions about the explosion that killed six KCFD firefighters in 1988 in one of the city's worst tragedies. If you get a chance, McGraw and other staffers have assembled a huge amount of stories, videos and other information about the case.

Carie Neighbors said they threatened to take away her son. Jerry
Rooks said they warned him he’d get a stiffer jail sentence. Alan
Bethard said they charged him with a more serious crime.

Now, those witnesses and up to 12 others — many speaking publicly for the first time — have told The Kansas City Star that a federal investigator in the firefighters’ explosion case pressured them to lie.

Five
who testified in the case admit they lied to the federal grand jury
that indicted the defendants or later at their trial. The other
witnesses said they refused to change their stories.

“You want me
to fabricate some lies, and I don’t want any part of it,” Dave Dawson
said he told federal investigators in the case. “That’s when they told
me to have a good life in the penitentiary.”

Legal experts said
that if investigators used improper pressure, that could mean the five
defendants were wrongly prosecuted and convicted, and that a new
American Bar Association rule should prompt the prosecutor to
reinvestigate the two-decade-old case.

Happened about 3:15 a.m. in the 1600 block of West 12th Street -- sounds like it was in the West Bottoms.

From KCPD: On today’s date KC police officers were dispatched to the above address on a shooting. Upon arrival, the male victim was found laying in the parking lot suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene by MAST ambulance. As of this time no suspect is in custody.

On today’s date at 0048 hrs, Metro and South Patrol officers were called to 5614 E. 87 (Banquet Hall), to assist security in closing down a party at that location. At 0059 hrs, a large number of shots were fired in the parking lot and in the adjoining parking lot of 8600 Hillcrest lot.

One black female and five black males were shot in this incident, while the parking lots were crowded with people going to there cars. Several officers witnessed part of the shooting and arrested one black male shooter who dropped his pistol while attempting to escape. The weapon was also recovered. Three other black males, who were with the shooter, were also held for questioning.

The six victims were transported to area hospital for treatment. One of the males died at the hospital from a gun shot wound to the head.

Schubert described a wild night in 1996 that involved casting out
demons from the church and two attempts to exorcise demons from her.
The incident left Schubert physically bruised and so emotionally
scarred she later tried to commit suicide. She was 17 at the time.

Justice
David Medina, writing for the majority, said that while Schubert’s
argument regarding physical injuries might be tried without mentioning
religion, her case was mostly about her emotional or psychological
injuries from a religious activity that was sanctioned by the church.

From KCPD: The Kansas City Missouri Police Department conducted a Sobriety Checkpoint on June 27, 2008 from 2300 hours to 0400 hours at 4040 Main St. Southbound traffic was checked with total of 792 vehicles stopped.

A total number of 18 DUI arrests were made, along with 1 Possession of a Firearm While Intoxicated, 1 Minor in Possession of Alcohol, 1 Possession of Marijuana, 2 Driving While Revoked, and 4 Hazardous Moving Violations.

A New York woman sued her rabbi because he abused his position by "allegedly persuading her to have sex with him to help her find a husband," the New York Law Journal reports. (As matchmaking strategies go, it's unique.) The rabbi, for his part, denies the whole thing. The case has been dismissed ...

The woman originally faced a criminal charge, which she beat. She's filed an $11 million suit against the police, and the officer is facing criminal charges.

From The AP: This March 2007 photo released in New York by Certain & Zilberg, PLLC, shows Irma Marquez in her hospital bed bearing injuries she sustained after being body-slammed by a Yonkers, N.Y, police officer. The FBI arrested Yonkers police officer Wayne Simoes on Friday, June 27, 2008, charging him with violating Marquez's civil rights when he used excessive force and put Marquez in the hospital for four days. (AP Photo/Certain & Zilberg, PLLC)

A Florida man, awaiting trial on a burglary charge, got thrown into jail after he reportedly failed a random drug test -- which was a shock to him, because he'd never done coke before. He had, however, enjoyed some tea fixed by his mother. That tea? Mate de Coca, which showed up as cocaine during his test.